Short Films Chart The Simian Flu That Precedes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The release of Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is now just 9 days away, and while the plethora of, recent previews, and featurettes have teased just about every aspect of the next installment in humanity's downfall, there is still one major question we all want answered. How did it humanity's situation get so bad in the 10 years that have elapsed since 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'? Thankfully, three beautifully constructed short films have arrived with the answers to all your questions.

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes', set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where less than 10% of the human population remain, takes place a decade after the initial outbreak of the lethal 113 "simian flu" in 2011. So according to the franchise, in 10 years, Earth's human population was all but wiped out, civilization was destroyed, and the people who remain are left alone to fend for themselves. That's a blockbuster premise in itself right there. Spotting the potential, Fox commissioned a triple-feature entitled 'Before Dawn' which tasks three young directors with telling the plight of the human population across 10 devastating years.

Honestly, these clips are so damn good that they might even run the risk of overshadowing the actual feature film...

"Spread of the Simian Flu: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 1)" by Isaiah Seret — The story of a young family separated by the virus.

"Struggling to Survive: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 5) by Daniel Thron — An orphaned teenager's attempt to protect her young brother in their abandoned house, and to survive amidst chaos and destruction.

"Story of the Gun: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 10) by "Thirtytwo" — The story of a gun as it gets passed on from survivor to survivor in an increasingly unsafe world.